Chapter 225: Jealousy and the Forgotten Giant Sword

Chapter 225: Jealousy and the Forgotten Giant Sword

(Xueheng spent the entire afternoon experimenting with the various applications of Double Flexibility and observing the cooldown of his Twin abilities after reaching Level 5.)



Each active effect of Twin consumed a different amount of mana, but they all shared the same blue bar.

Among them, Speed consumed the most. If used alone, it would deplete the blue bar in about a minute, rendering Twin unusable.

Strength followed, lasting around 100 seconds.

Then came Flexibility, which could last for nearly four and a half minutes.

Defense was next, lasting close to six minutes.

Finally, there was Instinct, which was similar to Defense, lasting nearly six minutes as well.

All these active effects could be used simultaneously, of course, with the consumption stacking accordingly.

The 'mana' for Twin was always regenerating. The current recovery speed was significantly faster than at lower levels. From empty, it would take about two and a half hours to refill.

Compared to Level 4, the overall improvement was quite remarkable. Most importantly, the passive resurrection cooldown had been reduced by another ten days. Now, after resurrecting, he would only need fifty days to resurrect again, a much more lenient condition than the initial ninety days.

Xueheng's aspiration of achieving infinite resurrection at Level 10 seemed to be gradually coming true.

But all that could wait. For now, he intended to prioritize using his divinity on Shadowflame and would distribute it to other skills after creating his divine incarnation.

At 6 p.m., the sky gradually darkened.

Xueheng looked at the ravaged rooftop and thought that it was a smart choice to use the rooftop as a training ground.

If this had been indoors, the entire house would have been destroyed after such a mess.

Having it on the roof made things much more convenient; at most, they would just need to redo the flooring.

Xueheng returned to his bedroom, took a shower, and felt refreshed. He was just about to go for dinner when his phone rang.

He picked it up and saw that it was a call from Yuqing Wu. He immediately answered it.

"Hello? Boss."

Xueheng sat down on the sofa.

"I looked into what you told me yesterday about Okagakirinka and the Prankster's Club."

Yuqing's soft and calm voice came through the receiver, instilling a sense of peace.

"What he said... is very likely true."

Xueheng's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean?"

"'The Prankster's' actions might indeed be delaying the invasion of the foreign gods into this world." Yuqing explained.

"According to my research, no new foreign god cults have emerged in the mortal realm for the past sixty-three years. In the past sixty years, incidents related to new foreign gods have been extremely rare."

"The New Era has only been around for over two hundred years. Thus, researchers have noticed this slightly abnormal situation but attributed it to some sort of cyclical pattern."

"When I looked up information on the Pranksters, I found that the first time this group appeared was over sixty years ago, which coincides with this data..."

"It's highly possible that the reduction in foreign god-related incidents over the past sixty years is due to their involvement."

Xueheng tapped his finger on the armrest of the sofa and murmured,

"In other words, the organization known as the 'Pranksters'... is actually on the side of justice?"

Yuqing had a different opinion on this notion. She spoke softly,

"No matter how grand the goal, if the means to achieve it are filthy, then it is also filthy."

"Even if the Pranksters' objective is truly to delay the invasion of foreign gods, their methods are unlikely to be considered justifiable under the name of justice..."

"However, these philosophical debates are irrelevant. Given that the Pranksters have never publicly claimed to be on the side of justice, it seems they don't care about how others perceive them."

Xueheng smiled and nodded, "According to Okagakirinka, the Pranksters' members are all genuine terrorists, problem children, and lunatics, brought together by the organization for a larger-scale frenzy... They never intended to hide behind the guise of justice."

Yuqing acknowledged with an 'en,' "In that case, there's no need to change our policies toward them. We'll continue to treat them as terrorists. I'll submit this opinion to the higher-ups."

Xueheng pondered for a moment before asking, "What about Okagakirinka himself? He's a member of the Pranksters and could be considered a terrorist, right?"

"There's no way to deal with this... All of this is just his one-sided claim. Unless he personally carries out terrorist activities that harm the people, it can only be taken as a joke," Yuqing Wu said. "Even if we arrest him, he would only need to claim that he was just joking and we would have to release him. It might even cause international disputes, which would not be worth it."

Xuejing nodded. "In other words, we don't need to bother with him."

"Exactly," Yuqing agreed.

"Just how sensitive is this person's identity? It seems like any little thing he does could potentially cause an international dispute," Xuejing asked casually.

Yuqing smiled and said, "The Big Six Conglomerates of the Far East: Tsukimori, Kamisato, Otogibara, Scarlet Fantasy, Shika no Miya, and Tenmanoya. You can think of them as the Thirteen Great Houses of our Zhuxia, but... purely in terms of their status within the country, the Big Six Conglomerates are even more influential."

She paused for a moment before continuing, "They are as good as the country of Far East itself."

"Hmm?" Xuejing replied, intrigued.

"Like the Thirteen Great Houses, the Big Six Conglomerates are the 'victors of the New Era'. Compared to the overly large and complex Zhuxia, Far East only has the 'Tokyo' and 'Osaka' metropolitan areas. The Big Six Conglomerates have the capacity to completely dominate this small island nation."

"They are the undisputed kings of that land. Both the Cabinet Prime Minister and the so-called 'Living God' Emperor are nothing more than puppets in their control."

"Therefore, as the third heir of the Otogibara Conglomerate, Okagakirinka's status is equivalent to that of a prince or crown prince of a nation. We need to ensure that he doesn't cause any trouble in Zhuxia... Of course, this is all just following basic diplomatic policies, and he hasn't received any special treatment."

Xuejing expressed his understanding. "I see, that's quite informative."

Yuqing smiled. "You've obtained some important information this time, uncovering the purpose and motives behind the establishment of the Prankster's Club. Consider it another merit to your name."

Xuejing's eyes lit up at the mention of a reward. "Is there a reward?"

"Not for now. I'll keep it in mind for later," Yuqing replied.

Xuejing pouted. "What's the point of keeping it for later? Giving a reward on the spot would make you look more generous."

Yuqing hummed in response. "I've never claimed to be generous."

"I don't believe it! The wise and valiant Young Buddha Yuqing would never be stingy with a small reward. You must be an imposter. Come on, who are you really?"

"The wise and valiant Young Buddha is neither wise nor valiant, nor is she a Buddha."

"Hmm? You don't seem too pleased with that title. Then I'll call you Female Bodhisattva from now on..."

"Xuejing, I think you're starting to get a bit too comfortable..."

...

After chatting with Yuqing for nearly an hour, Xuejing hung up the phone with a smile.

As he was about to put his phone away and head out for dinner as planned, he suddenly turned his head to the side.

The room was dark, with only a faint light filtering in through the window as night approached. In the dark corner of the room, a pair of emerald-green eyes, like gems, were staring at him, glowing like ghostly orbs.

"...Miss Wan, what are you doing crouching there?" Xuejing coughed lightly and spoke in a soft voice.

Meow Meow let out a soft hum, her delicate and alluring cat face narrowing her eyes, giving her an ambiguous expression.

"Usually, you're all over women, but now it seems like you've finally met someone you truly like... You certainly seemed to be enjoying your chat with Miss Wu."

Xuejing smiled casually. "It's work-related. When talking to my superior, it's necessary to be friendly. After all, I'm also a member of society..."

Meow Meow remained noncommittal. "I've never seen a 'member of society' who considers flirting with their superior as work-related."

Xuejing walked over to her, picked her up, and started rubbing her head as he thought to himself:

"You've been hiding in the corner, drinking vinegar by the barrel, haven't you? As expected of a woman with a favorability rating of over 2,000 towards me. That fearsome possessiveness..."

Meow Meow's lips twitched. "That thing must be broken. How could I possibly have such a high favorability rating for you? Either that, or you've been lying about the numbers. Favorability isn't calculated like that..."

Xuejing simply stroked her head gently, a smile in his eyes as he watched her. He remained silent.

Meow Meow felt uncomfortable under his gaze, like a child who was lying to her parents, feeling her cheeks heat up under his seemingly all-knowing yet forgiving stare.

"Hmph!"

In the end, she simply hmphed and turned her head away, no longer meeting Xuejing's gaze.

Time passed, and another day arrived.

Today was the day of the U19 Finals.

Xuejing woke up early, his alarm ringing at 5 a.m. sharp. He made his way to the rooftop, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate, clearing his mind and adjusting his state of mind for the upcoming match.

Today, his opponent was not Zhou Yinglin or Yu Galing; instead, he would be facing Yin Muhu.

Out of respect for his friend, even though it wasn't entirely necessary, Xuejing decided to take the match seriously and strive to be in the best possible condition.

With the effect of [True Warrior] ensuring that his baseline performance wouldn't dip below 100%, he still wanted to push beyond that limit and showcase his true strength.

He didn't go as far as burning incense or fasting for three days, but he did take the time to meditate and clear his mind, showing respect to his opponent.

Around 8 a.m., Xuejing opened his eyes, and a dazzling divine light radiated from them.

He stood up and walked to the edge of the rooftop, looking down.

Just then, he spotted Ning Yuantai approaching the building not too far away, carrying something large wrapped in cloth... a door panel, perhaps? Xuejing couldn't quite make out what it was.

He walked downstairs and opened the front door just as Ning Yuantai arrived. Seeing Xuejing, he waved and greeted him.

"Brother Xue, good morning!"

Xuejing nodded in response, "Morning."

His curiosity piqued, Xuejing asked, "Yuantai, what's that you're carrying?"

Ning Yuantai patted the 'door panel' with his free hand, creating a subtle thumping sound, akin to knocking on a stone. With a smile, he replied, "This just arrived by air delivery this morning. It's something a noble sent for you."

"Old Xu said that a distinguished person sent it to you."

"A noble?" Xuejing inquired, puzzled.

Ning Yuantai leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "I don't know the specifics. When I asked Old Xu, he didn't say anything, so I called home to investigate. But then my dad called me back and just said, 'can't say for now.'"

Xuejing tilted his head, confused. "What's with this riddle-like behavior?"

Ning Yuantai shrugged. "Who knows... But even though they didn't tell me anything, the fact that they said 'can't say' reveals a lot."

"The only ones who could make my family stay silent like this are the Thirteen Great Houses, and it must be related to their direct descendants."

"Brother Xue, think about it. Which of the Thirteen Great Houses' direct descendants have you had dealings with?"

Xuejing furrowed his brows, deep in thought. "The direct descendants of the Thirteen Great Houses..."

A dream of the young and innocent Wu Yuqing? Although she hadn't mentioned it to him, judging from her surname 'Wu' and the fact that she could seemingly solve any problem, there was a high possibility that she was a member of the Thirteen Great Houses' direct lineage... But given their relationship, she would have just sent the gift directly without playing these guessing games.

That left only the Zhus...

The branch of the Zhus in the capital, the smaller household, held great animosity towards him, so it was unlikely they would send him anything.

And this animosity wasn't without reason; Xuejing had even speculated that it might have something to do with his senior, Zhu Shijie.

If his senior was also from one of the branches of the Zhus...

Could this item be from Senior Zhu? Xuejing shook his head, dispelling the thought. He turned to Ning Yuantai and reached out his hand.

"Let me see what you've got there."

Ning Yuantai set down the 'door panel' and handed it over to Xuejing.

As soon as Xuejing took it, he felt its weight, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

With his current foundation of strength, he could easily lift objects weighing several tons, so to feel a sense of weight implied that this 'door panel' was quite substantial.

Xuejing began to unwrap the cloth strips covering the 'door panel.'

And there, a massive ancient sword, over 7 feet long and nearly 16 inches wide, revealed itself.

The material of the sword was unclear, appearing somewhere between steel and stone, with traces of rust and small chips along its edge, as if it had witnessed countless ancient battles.

"This is..."

Xuejing paused, a hint of surprise flashing across his face. As soon as his palm made contact with the sword, a panel automatically popped up.

[Detecting divine substance. Absorbing divinity...]



After seeing this prompt, Xuejing immediately searched for information about divine relics in his mind, and it didn't take long for him to identify the massive sword in his hands.

"GOD-542: Forgotten Giant Sword?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end